[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4071 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4071
To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within
the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 22, 2024
Mr. Heinrich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives within
the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Office of Colonias and Farmworker
Initiatives Establishment Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES; COLONIAS AND
FARMWORKER INITIATIVES COORDINATING COMMITTEE.
(a) In General.--Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``SEC. 224B. OFFICE OF COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and maintain in
the Department an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives
(referred to in this section as the `Office')--
``(1) to improve engagement with, and service to, border
colonias communities, farmworkers, and the family members and
children of farmworkers;
``(2) to improve collaboration between the Department and
national, State, and local colonias and farmworker programs and
nonprofit organizations; and
``(3) to carry out other such functions as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate.
``(b) Duties.--The Office shall ensure that border colonias
communities, farmworkers, the family members and children of
farmworkers, and nonprofit organizations representing or assisting such
communities and individuals have equitable access to, and equitable
participation in, programs and services of the Department by--
``(1) establishing and monitoring the goals and objectives
of the Department to increase participation of such
communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in
Department programs;
``(2) assessing the effectiveness of Department outreach
programs to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit
organizations;
``(3) developing and implementing a plan to coordinate
outreach activities and services to such communities,
individuals, and nonprofit organizations provided by--
``(A) the Department; and
``(B) other Federal agencies, including services
relating to housing, education, health care, and
infrastructure development;
``(4) providing input to the Department and other Federal
agencies on programmatic and policy decisions relating to such
communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations,
including--
``(A) identifying obstacles for access to programs
and resources; and
``(B) elevating Federal, State, and local best
practices;
``(5) measuring outcomes of the programs and activities of
the Department to serve such communities and individuals;
``(6) recommending new initiatives and programs to the
Secretary;
``(7) providing technical assistance to such organizations
with respect to Department programs and resources; and
``(8) carrying out any other related duties that the
Secretary determines to be appropriate.
``(c) Colonias Coordinator.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the
Office the position of Colonias Coordinator (referred to in
this subsection as the `Coordinator').
``(2) Duties.--The Secretary shall delegate to the
Coordinator responsibility for the following:
``(A) Serving as a liaison to nonprofit
organizations that represent and have demonstrated
experience serving and working in colonias communities.
``(B) Coordinating with the Department, other
Federal agencies, and State and local governments to
ensure that the needs of colonias communities are
assessed and met, including during declared disasters
and other emergencies.
``(C) Consulting within the Office and with other
entities to better integrate perspectives, concerns,
and interest of colonias communities into the ongoing
programs of the Department.
``SEC. 224C. COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER INITIATIVES COORDINATING
COMMITTEE.
``(a) Establishment of Committee.--The Secretary shall establish
and convene a Federal coordinating committee, to be known as the
`Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Coordinating Committee' (referred
to in this section as the `Committee'), to provide advice and guidance
to the Secretary on matters relating to colonias and farmworker
affairs.
``(b) Membership and Composition.--The Committee shall be composed
of the following members:
``(1) 1 representative from each of the following:
``(A) The Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
``(B) The Department of the Treasury.
``(C) The Environmental Protection Agency.
``(D) The Department of Health and Human Services.
``(E) The Department of Education.
``(F) The Small Business Administration.
``(G) The Department of Labor.
``(H) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(2) Such representatives not described in paragraph (1)
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
``(c) Duties of Committee.--The Committee shall--
``(1) direct a working group composed of members of the
Committee (or designees of such members) and representatives
from other Federal agencies and mission areas within the
Department (such as the Rural Housing Service, the Rural
Utilities Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, the
Food and Nutrition Service, and the Farm Service Agency);
``(2) engage stakeholders and identify State and municipal
best practices to assist colonias communities, farmworkers, and
the family members and children of farmworkers;
``(3) submit to the Secretary recommendations on, and
solutions to, issues raised at the local, regional, or national
level; and
``(4) identify and propose solutions to any
interdepartmental barriers between the Department and other
Federal agencies.
``(d) Federal Advisory Committee Act Exemption.--Section 1013 of
title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Committee.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $2,500,000 for
each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029.''.
(b) Transfer of Position of Farmworker Coordinator.--
(1) In general.--The Farmworker Coordinator position
established under section 226B(f) of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(f)) (as
in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act)
is transferred to the Office of Colonias and Farmworker
Initiatives established under section 224B of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (as added by subsection
(a)).
(2) Transfer of legal provisions.--The Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended--
(A) by moving subsection (f) of section 226B (7
U.S.C. 6934) so as to appear at the end of section 224B
(as added by subsection (a)); and
(B) by redesignating that subsection as subsection
(d).
(c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 225 of subtitle A of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6925) is
redesignated as section 224A.
(2) Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry out the
amendments made to this title by the Office of Colonias and
Farmworker Initiatives Establishment Act of 2024''.
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